


A Smile Better Suits A Hero

by SigynOdinson



Series: Wondrous Tails of Eorzea [1]
Category: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Canonical Character Death, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Past Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 10:30:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17364314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SigynOdinson/pseuds/SigynOdinson
Summary: A year on from the Vault incident Sigyn visits an old friend in the hopes of getting closure.





	A Smile Better Suits A Hero

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't finished Heavensward turn back now! Major Spoiler ahead!

The snow crunched quietly beneath her allagan-made boots as she trudged out the gates of Ishgard. The icy wind lashed at her face, it would have torn the warm hood of her cloak from her head if her gloved hand wasn’t gripping it in place.

She had heard the warnings from everyone, from Alphinaud, from Tataru and even from Estinien who usually left her to her own devices. They had warned her about the coming blizzard. The blizzard which now raged around her as she ventured further into the Coerthas Highlands towards Camp Dragonhead. She hadn’t told them her plans, she hadn’t even hinted at them and yet they all seemed to know. She huffed, her breath turning to mist as it hit the cold air.

When she finally arrived at Camp Dragonhead her hands were numb with the cold, she quickly entered the familiar stone outpost building pushing open its heavy wooden doors with all her strength. Pulling down the hood of her cloak she shook off the snow that had built up before her now ungloved hands fumbled to unclip the strap that secured her grimoire to her waist. Her fingers traced the embossed silver cover of the book, it had tarnished turning a gaudy green at parts as silver is want to do, before flipping it open to the front page. There in languid curling script was not the geometry of arcane incantations that filled the rest of the book but instead a simple message.

To My Dearest, Sigyn.

I hope this grimoire serves you well through all that’s to come.

Faithfully Yours,

Haurchefant

Sigyn felt the edges of her mouth tug up towards a smile. Haurchefant had known as well as she had that she would quickly outgrow this simple grimoire. They had both known but neither of them had been surprised when Sigyn had continued to keep the obsolete tome on her person. Softly closing the book she placed it back in its holster. The Outpost was void of people, who Sigyn could only speculate had returned home. After all anyone out in this weather must have a deathwish.

Sigyn almost sniggered at the thought. Warrior of Light, so called Hero of Eorzea and Saviour of Ishgard. The woman who brought low the gods of old and dragons alike, killed by a little snow. She was sure the Garleans would have a field day with that one.

The room she had entered before was as unfamiliar to her now as it was the first day she had strode in, uninvited, demanding assistance in locating an airship that had crashed nearby decades earlier.

Since that day this place had become a home away from home, there was always a place at the dinner table for her and there was always a warm bed to occupy. Haurchefant had made sure of it.

But today there was no warm candlelight filling the room, no Elezen guards breaking their stoic personas to smile as she brought them trinkets and snacks back from Ishgard and most importantly no silver haired knight sitting behind the desk at the center of the room. No Haurchefant.

She knew exactly where he would place his cup on the desk after taking a sip of hot cacao. Knew exactly where he hid his ginger cookies so that the guards wouldn’t make fun of his sweet tooth. She also knew where he was now.

What she didn’t know is why she was here. This was but a stop on the way to her final destination, a stop she had felt she had to make. Now, standing in this room, she didn’t know why.

She had rationalised that due to the blizzard it would be wise to take a break somewhere along the line, and that Camp Dragonhead was situated in a perfect position to serve that purpose. Camp Dragonhead, the place where she felt his presence the most.

“It’s silly, I know.” Her voice was wistfully but it echoed round the cold stone chamber. “All this time I secretly hoped that when I came back here, he’d be here.”

Her head turned to face the uncomfortable looking dragoon who had silently entered the room.

“That I would walk in and he’d be sitting behind that damn desk with that stupid grin on his face.” Her hands bunched into fists and her body shook. “Estinien. Why am I such a fool?”

The temperamental dragoon was, for once, lost for words opting instead to simply shake his head. The woman before him had lost so much. Her memory to the Calamity, her friends and family in the Scions of the Seventh Dawn to betrayal and countless other wrongs had been committed against her. Not once had he seen her falter. Not even under the gaze of Nidhogg himself but in this stone chamber the Au’ri woman he had shared many a battlefield with looked so small and frail. As if the wrong word could break her irreversibly.

“We should wait out the storm here.” His words were stiff but Sigyn knew they were not unfriendly. They had known each other for sometime now and she had learned early on that Estinien’s tone did not always match his words sentiment.

“I-” She began but was quickly cut off.

“We should but I can’t stop you from going can I?” There was a sad smile on his face as he spoke, even now a year after putting an end to Nidhogg it felt strange to Sigyn, seeing Estinien’s face unobscured by his trademark helmet. “So instead of stopping you I suppose I’ll be your bodyguard for the night.”

Sigyn snorted but Estininen’s gaze hardened.

“Laugh if you will but you’ve been sloppy tonight. I’ve been following you since you left Ishgard and you never noticed.” His voice was cold. “It’s not like you.”

She hadn’t noticed him. She also hadn’t noticed the Garlean soldiers that had spotted her traversing the Highlands and she certainly hadn’t noticed Estinien quickly disposing of them before they had a chance to strike.

Sigyn hadn’t noticed anything but Estinien had. He had noticed everything. Relieved of his duties as Azure Dragoon he had found himself with far more free time than he cared to admit. He had lost his purpose for living after Nidhogg was defeated and although he had fared better than he had initially expected he had still fallen into a melancholy state for some time.

He had thought nothing of it at first. The little things, he had spotted Sigyn drinking with Hilda in The Forgotten Knight more often or how she had spent less time with himself and Aymeric. He had simply thought she was expanding her circle, strengthening new friendships.

Then she had started to forget things, when he visited her she would have tea set for two despite the fact he hadn’t told her he would be visiting.

He had seen all the signs because not long ago he too had experienced them.

So when he had seen her striding out the gates of Ishgard in the middle of a blizzard with no supplies he had feared the worst. Estinien was not a superstitious man, but as he had watched the white haired woman disappear into the blizzard he had been overcome with such a feeling of dread. As if Nald’thal himself was with him in the flesh warning him that if he did not follow her that the soul of the young Au’ri would soon be his to claim.

So he had followed her. As he had followed her into battle several times before and as he would follow her to Thal’s Halls if she so asked for he had the debt of a life to pay.

“You’re right.” Sigyn murmured as she passed Estinien on her way to the door. “It’s not.”

She pushed the wooden doors open, somehow they felt lighter than before and as she stepped into the brisk cold of the outdoors she found the wind had settled some. No longer did a blizzard rage, instead large snowflakes danced through the sky. Sigyn silently thanked Nymeia for her intervention, when Estinien had appeared she had feared that perhaps the gods did not approve of her plan but if the blizzard had stopped surely the Spinner had interceded with Halone on her behalf.

Estinien and Sigyn walked mostly in silence towards the North East, Estinien expertly dispatching any particularly aggressive wildlife that thought it had found an easy meal. However as they neared Providence Point Sigyn froze.

Despite the snowfall, despite the distance she could see him waiting for her.

When she started walking again Estinien didn’t. Though he longed to greet his old friend again this wasn’t the time, this was Sigyn’s reunion, not his.

When Sigyn reached Haurchefant she sat with him on the icy ground and she spoke. 

“It’s been a while since you left my friend, I’m sorry I didn’t visit sooner.” Her voice was soft and low. “I was ashamed you see. The last time we spoke I fear I didn’t live up to your expectations.”

Tears rolled down her face as she spoke but her voice was steady and a wide smile spread across her face.

“I couldn’t be the person you needed to be back then but I can now, I swear it!” A tremor had entered her voice now her shoulders heaving as she tried to hold back the tears. She reached out feeling the cold metal of her friends shield beneath her fingers.

“A smile better suits a hero.” The words came out as a choked sob but her smile never faltered. She retracted her hand from the shield silently grateful that the Echo had not made her relive the moment Zephirin’s Spear had pierced through the shield. “That’s what you said to me last time. I failed you then and I’ve failed you ever since.”

She rose to her feet bowing her head to the grave of her fallen friend, her dearest Haurchefant.

“But I swear on the Great Crystal I won’t fail you again. At the end of my time on this earth I’ll walk into Thal’s Halls and greet you with a smile.”

She turned to walk away pausing only for a moment to say. “Until then, my friend I’ll make you proud.”


End file.
